Volvo is working with some other major players in the autonomous car industry to clear up some of the legal inequalities between states in terms of self-driving cars.

Looking for a roundup of the latest and most important news from the automotive world? You’ve found it in the Daily Drive-Thru. Check it out every weekday to see what you missed and what you need to know.

The Daily Drive-Thru, completely legal in all 50 states. No lobbying required.

Tech, car companies team up to lobby for autonomous cars

Ford, one of the leaders in the pioneering autonomous technology, will join forces with Google, Uber, Lyft and Volvo to lobby on behalf of self-driving cars.

(NewspressUSA)

Ford, Google, Lyft, Uber andVolvoare joining forces to lobby the federal and state governments to clean up laws and regulations that are inhibiting the roll out of autonomous cars. Collectively calling themselves the “Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets,” the group will work to make laws governing self-driving cars unified across state borders.

The group maintains that autonomous cars will make roads safer and provide more mobility offerings to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to drive. It also argues that failing to get regulations in line could cause the U.S. to fall behind in the race for complete automotive autonomy.

Source:Autoblog

Mitsubishi has been cheating since ‘91

Mitsubishi Motors President Tetsuro Aikawa attends a press conference on April 20, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. Mitsubishi Motors share plunged more than 15% after the Japanese car maker announced it has mishandled the fuel economy test data.

(Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Last week Mitsubishi was busted for intentionally low-balling fuel efficiency ratings on more than half a billion cars dating back to 2013. On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker announced that it developed its method for cheating the system in 1991.

Mitsubishi said it designed the “high-speed coasting test,” its method for measuring fuel efficiency, which differs from the standards set by the Japanese government. The manufacturer then used the results from its own testing method rather than the standard method because they were more favorable. Mitsubishi said it’s not sure who is responsible for the systematic cheating within its minicar lines, but it intends to find out.

Volkswagen sales bounce back, surpass Toyota

Volkswagen finally has good news to report: the German company was the top-selling car manufacturer in the world during the first quarter of 2016.

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images )

Volkswagen was the top-selling automaker during the first quarter of 2016, delivering 2.5 million vehicles worldwide between January and March. With a 0.8 percent increase from the final quarter of last year, Volkswagen was able to leapfrog Toyota, thanks in part to a 2.3 percent decrease for the Japanese automaker. Toyota tallied 2.46 million global deliveries during quarter 1.

This is a sign of improvement for Volkswagen, which has been struggling with image issues and sales drop-offs since its diesel emissions scandal broke last fall.

Fuel efficient cars continue to rise despite cheap gas

Volkswagen submitted a new emissions fix plan yesterday to the California Air Resources Board and the EPA.

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images )

Despite an extended period of cheap gas prices and a increasing thirst for SUVs in the U.S., fuel efficiency continues to rise in the American car market, with more than half of available models reaching national fuel standards and 81 percent of car buyers said gas mileage will play an important role in their purchase decisions, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

The report released this week found that 13.4 percent of available cars achieved at least 30 mpg this year, up from 11.7 percent last year and a mere 1 percent in 2008. Even stereotypically gas-guzzling SUVs and pickup trucks are less inefficient (yes, that’s a backhanded compliment, got a problem with it?) as just 4 percent of those vehicles get less than 16 mpg, down from 6.1 percent last year and 32.2 percent in 2008.

Updated Tesla Model S has 300 mile range (on the highway)

Despite currently cheap gas prices, fuel efficiency remains a top priority for many U.S. car buyers.

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The restyled and tuned up 2016 Tesla Model 3 touts an EPA rated single-charge range of 303.2 miles for its all-wheel drive 90D version. This makes it the first production-level car to surpass the 300 mile mark in terms of battery range, but it should be noted that this is only during highway driving.

The city mpg average is 285.7 miles and the combined average is 294 miles, roughly the same as the previous version. Still, this is an impressive accomplishment and a feather in the cap of the electric vehicle specialist.